Gas turbine engine offtake
AssigneeROLLS-ROYCE plc
InventorZahid M. HUSSAIN
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A tip clearance control (TCC) system 100 is provided to control the gap 176 between the tips of turbine blades 172 of a gas turbine engine 10 and the casing 174 within which they rotate. The inlet 120 to the TCC system is provided in a bifurcation panel 110 that extends across a bypass duct 22 of the gas turbine engine 10. The inlet is provided on a first major surface 112 of the bifurcation panel 110 that is defined such that the direction (R) that points through the bifurcation panel from the first major surface 112 to a second major surface 114 corresponds to the fan rotation direction. This provides a particularly effective and/or efficient TCC system 100.
Claims15
A gas turbine engine comprising:
- an engine core comprising a compressor section, a combustor downstream of the compressor section, and a turbine section downstream of the combustor, the turbine section comprising at least one turbine blade row that is rotatable within a turbine casing;
- a tip clearance control system for directing air onto the turbine casing, the temperature of the air allowing a gap between the turbine blades and the turbine casing to be controlled;
- a fan upstream of the engine core, the fan being connected to at least a part of the turbine section so as to be driven in a fan rotation direction in use;
- a generally annular bypass duct located radially outside the engine core and being defined by a radially inner bypass duct wall and a radially outer bypass duct wall;
- a bifurcation panel having first and second major surfaces that each extend from a leading edge to a trailing edge and generally radially across the bypass duct between the radially outer bypass duct wall and the radially inner bypass duct wall, wherein:
- the bifurcation panel contains at least a part of an electrical and/or fluid system, thereby allowing the respective system to pass across the bypass duct;
- the direction (R) that points through the bifurcation panel from the first major surface to the second major surface corresponds to the fan rotation direction;
- and
- the tip clearance control system has an inlet positioned on the first major surface.
A method of controlling the gap between the tips of a row of turbine blades (172) in a turbofan gas turbine engine and a casing within which the turbine blades rotate comprising:
- taking air from a bypass flow (B) of the gas turbine engine through an inlet in a first major surface of a bifurcation panel that extends between a radially inner bypass duct wall and a radially outer bypass duct wall;
- and
- directing the air from the inlet onto the turbine casing, wherein:
- the bifurcation panel further comprises a second major surface that extends between the radially outer bypass duct wall and the radially inner bypass duct wall, the direction (R) that points through the bifurcation panel from the first major surface to the second major surface corresponding to a rotational direction of a fan of the gas turbine engine;
- and
- the bifurcation panel contains at least a part of an electrical and/or fluid system, thereby allowing the respective system to pass across the bypass duct.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.